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The document highlights that the agriculture sector is exceptionally vulnerable to climate extremes due to its dependence on natural resources. It argues that disaster risk is increasing not only due to climate change but also because more vulnerable people and assets are exposed to these events. The brief advocates for a shift from short-term coping mechanisms to long-term transformational approaches, such as 'climate-smart agriculture', and emphasizes the need for integrated national disaster risk management systems that combine local knowledge with scientific data.

The report argues that the EU ETS has failed as a driver for investment due to a surplus of emission allowances and collapsed prices, which are currently below €10/tCO2. To address this, the author proposes a three-part strategy: the set-aside of allowances to recalibrate the system, the implementation of a rising reserve price on auctions to create a price floor, and accelerated negotiations for post-2020 strategies. The document emphasizes that no single measure is sufficient to restore the strategic context needed for the estimated €1,000bn in energy system investments required over the coming decade.

The policy brief examines the 'letting others lead' approach of European states toward the regulation of commercial military services. It contends that the perceived restrictiveness of European frameworks is an illusion, as core military tasks are routinely outsourced and regulations are often interpreted permissively or bypassed. This lack of internal rigor leads European states to relegate regulatory initiative to allies (such as the US and UK), multi-stakeholder codes of conduct, and industry self-regulation, which further fragments the global regulatory landscape and reduces accountability.

The policy brief examines the growing but under-reported reliance on private companies for military services across Europe. It contends that unlike the US and UK, European states maintain 'hybrid' arrangements where the state remains closely linked to market actors, which masks the extent of commercialization and prevents public democratic debate. The author identifies four drivers of this trend—technological, economic, strategic, and public management processes—and argues that the resulting lack of clear accountability benefits security professionals who prefer to avoid public scrutiny.

The author examines how 'paralysing defeatism' and 'complacency' prevent the implementation of feasible mitigation and adaptation measures. He argues that personal responsibility for climate change is grounded in both prudence and ethics, particularly for those in the Global North who have benefited from industrial development. To counter inaction, the author suggests using local, concrete evidence of climate change and fostering solidarity with vulnerable populations to shift the cultural beliefs and habits that obstruct action.

The ClimateCost project estimates significant health risks for Europe under a medium-to-high emission (A1B) scenario, with heat-related mortality and coastal flooding causing the highest welfare costs. Heat-related deaths are projected to reach 127,000 per year by the 2080s, though this is reduced by acclimatisation and mitigation (E1 scenario). Salmonellosis cases and labour productivity losses are also expected to rise, particularly in Southern Europe. The report highlights that technical adaptation, such as sea dikes, can drastically reduce coastal flood fatalities, while other health adaptation measures remain under-researched.

The paper examines how the 'full protection and security' (FPS) standard has evolved from a narrow focus on physical security to a broader interpretation including legal and commercial security. It analyzes conflicting arbitral rulings on whether FPS is an independent treaty standard or reflects the customary international law minimum standard of treatment for aliens. The author highlights the risks for developing states, noting a 46% success rate for investors in FPS claims over 21 years, and suggests that states should explicitly define the scope of FPS in treaties to avoid expansive interpretations by tribunals.

The report argues that the Levy and Vogtle nuclear projects carry significant financial risks for ratepayers and taxpayers due to potential cost escalations and delays. It finds that both Florida and Georgia could meet their projected energy demand growth more cost-effectively through aggressive energy efficiency targets and the development of renewable energy resources, which are presented as lower-risk and lower-cost alternatives to the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor design.

The report analyzes six case studies—onshore wind in the U.S. and Spain, solar PV in the U.S. and Italy, a solar power tower in the U.S., and offshore wind in Denmark—to determine how policy impacts the cost of finance. It identifies seven policy impact pathways, finding that the duration of revenue support and revenue certainty are the most critical factors in reducing financing costs. The analysis shows that while most projects' costs and returns align with benchmarks, the Italian PV case experienced inflated costs and returns due to a rush to qualify for a Feed-in-Premium. The report concludes that policies reducing risk and providing revenue certainty are essential for attracting institutional investors and scaling innovative technologies.

The document analyzes the cement industry's response to carbon pricing, highlighting that while short-term impacts involve limited cost pass-through to consumers, long-term risks include the relocation of production to non-constrained regions. It argues that border adjustment measures (BAM) are more effective than free allowances at preserving carbon price signals and deterring investment leakage, particularly given the capital-intensive nature of the industry and high regional variations in production costs.

The document analyzes river flood risks in the EU27, finding that combined climate and socio-economic changes could increase expected annual damages (EAD) from €5.5 billion in the baseline period to €97.9 billion by the 2080s under a medium-high emission scenario (A1B). It emphasizes that socio-economic growth is as significant a driver of damage as climate change. Adaptation to maintain 1-in-100-year protection levels is projected to provide substantial benefits, reducing EAD by up to €50 billion per year by the 2080s, with estimated annual adaptation costs rising to €7.9 billion in the same period. The report highlights significant uncertainty across different climate models, which can project opposite directions of risk change at local levels, necessitating flexible and robust adaptation strategies.

The report analyzes the gap between Germany's current building renovation rates and its goal to reduce primary energy demand by 80% by 2050. Based on a survey of 2,000 households, it identifies barriers across three phases of the renovation process: initial awareness, planning and decision-making, and technical implementation. It argues that while financial incentives from the KfW and tax benefits are crucial, they must be coupled with better information tools, such as detailed heating bills, and improved professional certification for craftsmen to ensure high-quality, comprehensive renovations rather than isolated single measures.

The document details a 2010 UNEP study aimed at mapping oil pollution in Ogoniland, Nigeria, to facilitate a clean-up plan. It highlights the historical conflict between the Ogoni people and Shell, the political tensions surrounding the study's publication, and the broader need for environmental remediation across the Niger Delta, calling for the home governments of international oil companies to provide expertise and pressure for regulation.

The document examines South Africa's industrial development zones (IDZs), established in 2000, and argues that current incentives are insufficient to attract necessary foreign investment. By comparing South African IDZs with special trade zones in the EU, US, Mercosur, India, and China, the author identifies gaps in regulatory, financial, and fiscal incentives. The paper recommends that the South African government introduce specific IDZ incentives, such as easing labour-market requirements and providing infrastructure and wage subsidies, while expanding the scope of these zones to include trade-related service industries.

The author contends that the Fukushima disaster was avoidable and highlights the systemic failures in nuclear regulation and governance in Japan and the US. He argues that nuclear power is economically inferior to renewables and efficiency, noting that renewables surpassed nuclear's global installed capacity in 2010. The text calls for Japan to leverage its technological strengths in efficiency and renewables to lead a global shift away from centralized, high-risk power plants toward distributed, clean energy systems.

The study examines how the duration of supply disruptions and the season of occurrence affect the economic valuation of gas reliability among households in three European countries. It finds that WTP varies significantly by country and is generally higher for winter disruptions, with Italian households showing the highest valuation.

The report analyzes the effectiveness of tax credits and accelerated depreciation in promoting thermal retrofits, noting that while such schemes see high utilization, they often fail to trigger comprehensive deep retrofits. In contrast, Germany's KfW program achieves a higher rate of comprehensive retrofits by offering significantly higher support for deep measures and requiring certified expert oversight. The authors suggest that simple application processes and policy certainty are critical for investor confidence, particularly for high-cost comprehensive projects.

This working paper by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) establishes a framework for diagnosing policy effectiveness by analyzing the link between policy, finance, and outcomes. It argues that policies impact the investment environment by altering the allocation of costs, revenues, and risks, which subsequently affects the types of investors attracted to projects. The paper details the specific requirements and risk tolerances of different investor classes—including debt, equity, mezzanine, and venture capital—and explains how these dynamics shift across the development, construction, and operation stages of a project. CPI intends to use this framework for future case studies to test hypotheses on financial structures and contractual risk allocation.

The document examines the role of business delegations in South African state visits from 2009 to 2010, highlighting the collaboration between Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (dti). While these visits facilitate networking and government understanding of private sector needs, they face challenges including lack of dedicated funding, poor strategic planning, and concerns over political representivity. The author recommends a new model with clearer roles, dedicated resources, and pre-visit reconnaissance to maximize economic outcomes.

The briefing assesses tax incentives for energy-efficient building renovations in Germany, noting that while such incentives are popular, they often fail to trigger comprehensive renovations compared to KfW programs. It highlights that higher support levels and the requirement of certified experts—features of the KfW model—are more effective at promoting deep renovations and reducing deadweight effects.